British students are heading to China in their hundreds this summer to take up
internships to gain valuable Asian work experience.

Competition for internships in the UK is fierce, given the difficult economic circumstances.

But getting your foot in the door can be the difference between being hired or overlooked, according to the Confederation of British Industry(CBI). It says 82 per cent of businesses view the skills gained during an internship as the single most important consideration when recruiting graduates.

Many British students are deciding to head to Asia to secure an internship while discovering a new culture and language. As the world's most populous country, second biggest economy and an emerging global superpower, China ticks many boxes for graduates.

Working in China also impresses prospective employers, according to London-based consultancy CRCC Asia, which sends students to Beijing and Shanghai to intern at Chinese and multinational companies.

Laura Joyce, UK general manager for CRCC Asia, said: "Now that internships are the norm, students are eager to gain work experience that will make them stand out from the crowd. Our students tell us that during job interviews employers are most interested in their internship in China, over their degree or any UK-based experience."

CRRC Asia has seen a rapid rise in the numbers of participants over recent years, with numbers rising from 250 participants in 2009 to 1000 in 2011. This year CRCC forecasts it will send more than 1,500 students from around the globe to intern in China, with the highest proportion from UK universities.

Neal Fantom, a student at the University of Edinburgh, said: "Having initially tried and failed to secure an internship in the UK, I decided to apply for an internship in Beijing last summer. The working and social experience far surpass anything I could have hoped to have gained back in the UK."

Internships, usually undertaken in the summer before the final year of a degree, are now an established part of the university experience. The major graduate recruiters in banking, law and professional services all have schemes aimed at helping them gauge the suitability of candidates at an early stage.

Almost 25 per cent of 21 year-old graduates are unemployed according theOffice for National Statistics, adding greater pressure to secure career-specific work experience while at university.